26 November 2012

Dr. Rosi-Marshall will be the next Director of the Baltimore Ecosystem
Study, Long-Term Ecological Research project, a role that is targeted to begin
in 2016.At this time, we hope that BES
would be entering its next phase of support as an NSF-funded Long-Term
Ecological Research project.Dr. Rosi-Marshall
is an Associate Scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, where she
has been on the staff since 2009.Her
expertise in stream ecology, and her interests in the presence and role of
pharmaceutical and personal care products in streams caused us to invite her to
become a member of BES, and she has become an enthusiastic contributor to the
program.

Her research interests are described on the Cary Institute web site:

“Dr. Rosi-Marshall conducts research on factors that control and
influence ecosystem function in human-dominated ecosystems. Freshwater is one of our most vital and
threatened resources; understanding how human-driven global change impacts
freshwater ecosystem function is essential. Dr. Rosi-Marshall's research focuses on
several aspects of human modifications to freshwater ecosystems such as land
use change and restoration, widespread agriculture and associated crop
byproducts, urbanization and the release of novel contaminants, and hydrologic
modifications associated with dams.”

Dr. Rosi-Marshall earned the PhD from the University of Georgia in
2002.She conducted Post-doctoral
research at the University of Notre Dame, and was on the faculty of Loyola
University of Chicago between 2004 and 2009, where she rose to the rank of
Associate Professor.More information on
Dr. Rosi-Marshall’s career and interests can be found on the Cary Institute web
site at http://www.caryinstitute.org/science-program/our-scientists/dr-emma-j-rosi-marshall

It is important to have overlap in the leadership of LTERs.This is why I am happy that Dr. Rosi-Marshall
has agreed to be the next director of BES.Long-term studies are intended to observe, experiment on, and model
ecological processes over long periods of time.This is because many processes in which organisms, environment, and
social phenomena interact unfold slowly.In some cases, the complex and indirect interactions in human-natural
systems only become clear when some unusual event occurs, or when a new
comparison is conducted.Long-term
studies are a research platform allowing these crucial and impactful changes to
be understood.Dr. Rosi-Marshall in her
new role in the project, will participate in the Project Management Committee,
and will be closely involved in the decision making processes in BES.The substantial period of overlap during
which Dr. Rosi-Marshall will learn the ropes of BES and of the LTER Network is important
for continuity.

Dr. Peter Groffman will continue to serve as Deputy Director after the
planned 2016 transition, and I anticipate substantial overlap in the official
Co-Principal Investigators and members of BES through that transition.I am delighted that Dr. Rosi-Marshall has
agreed to perform this crucial role in the sustainability of BES.